The transfer of non-emergent patients between facilities has come to the forefront as a major issue for Ontario healthcare providers. For example, the inability to provide timely and reliable patient transfers is, within the hospital sector, compromising access to beds, emergency, diagnostic and specialty services.

The partial transfer of responsibility for ambulance services from the province to municipalities has led, in some cases, to a reduction in the availability of
ambulance services for non-emergency calls. In addition, in some communities, hospital restructuring has led to an increase in the number of transfers between facilities within the same area.

Regardless of the cause, there is widespread recognition that something
needs to be done to address these issues.